


Warmed To The Bones

by Kazimir



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alcohol, Blizzards & Snowstorms, Cold Weather, Fluff, Gen, Gender-neutral Reader, Platonic Romance, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 17:22:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18526120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kazimir/pseuds/Kazimir
Summary: The Kid Pirates endure their first snowstorm as a crew as they sail through the North Blue, and you, the newest member, enjoy a strong drink with your Captain as he fusses over the structural integrity of his beloved ship.





	Warmed To The Bones

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Slightly forced alcohol consumption

The crisp air cut through your jacket easily, sending a shiver up your spine as you escaped to the deck for some momentary peace. The Kid Pirate crew was a fantastic one to be a part of, to be sure, but being trapped in the cramped quarters below deck with the drunk, gruff men due to a blizzard was far from ideal, and the loud music they played and brotherly insults they slung eventually grew stale for you. Fighting the cold and doing your best to ignore the snowflakes clinging to your hair and eyelashes you looked out to the bow, observing a tall figure cloaked in red – your Captain, Eustass Kid. 

New to the crew, you were still a little apprehensive of the Captain. That’s not to say that you didn’t respect his obvious traits – strength, confidence, aggression, as well as the more subtle things that one would only learn from working alongside him – his perception, intelligence, and leadership skills – but of course his obvious volatility had led you to watch your words and actions carefully around Captain Kid and had made you rather tense in his presence. As you debated whether to stand where you were for a few minutes longer for the fresh air, to go back down into the humdrum below deck, or to approach Kid, the figure afront you turned, intense amber eyes piercing you through the snowfall. Not being rude enough to turn and leave after making eye contact, you approached the big red-head trepidatiously and stood by his side shyly as he looked down at you. Considering it, you hadn’t quite noticed when he had left the quarters below deck to come up here, but the layer of snow overlaying his hair and coat hinted that he had been standing in his place for quite some time; doing what, though, you were still not sure. 

You looked out into the water that the ship was travelling through, large chunks of ice being broken by the sharp hull noisily with crashes and creaks. Shooting him an inquiring look, Kid explained that he was watching to make sure than the ship wouldn’t be damaged by the conditions, given that it was built in the South Blue by himself and the crew, who had never experienced the climate of the North before now. Knowing the nature of his skills and hobbies, being a man who could repair or modify anything that you gave to him and who took significant pride in the care of two things; his weapons and his ship, his explanation came as no surprise to you. Despite this, you found yourself nagged by a small detail. As usual, the Captain’s coat and shirt were completely undone, leaving his pale chest exposed to the cold. As well, you observed that his nose, cheeks, and ears had already turned a bright red in the weather, nearly matching his fiery hair. You frowned, ruminating in your concern, as you were ignored by the large man who was now leaning his upper body over the railing of the bow to observe the hull properly, and a plan floated through your mind. 

Knowing any advice from you was more likely to send you overboard than it was to be heeded, you backed away from your Captain thoughtfully and headed back down below deck amongst the drunk pirates who had descended to practically being babysat by Killer and mixed a strong drink – a new favourite that the crew had discovered while searching for ways to fight the Northern weather, boiling water, lemon, sugar, and enough whiskey to warm a man straight to his bones. Traipsing back up the stairs with a small smile nudging at your features, you called to Kid as you reached the top. He jolted around at your voice, brows furrowed and obviously annoyed to be bothered by you for no real reason twice in only a few minutes. Since you had joined him, you had held onto the hope of encouraging as much of Eustass’ trust and patience as his first mate and more senior members of the crew did, but you were well aware of the fact that the temperamental young outlaw would likely be slow to warm up to people on such a level. Appreciating the slight softness that Kid maintained for all who worked under him – a stranger would be in mortal danger by now – you did your best to ignore his irritated grumbles and scoffs as you approached. 

“Killer asked me to bring you this.” you lied so as to not seem too pandering. Accepting the hot drink and taking a gulp, his mood lightened noticeably, his gaze on you softening. 

“What about you?” he asked in his gruff voice. You blinked, confused. “You haven’t had a drink, and you’ve been out here twice now. You look like you’re about to fucking freeze to death in front of me.” As he smirked at his own morbid joke you giggled and conceded shyly, only then noticing your numb hands and shivering frame. Before you could object, your Captain shoved the half-finished drink into your face and forced you to take a sip. The drink you had prepared with the much larger man in mind was, expectedly, disgustingly strong for your taste. Eustass bellowed his characteristic harsh laugh at the sight of your sour face that you had failed to conceal. He drank another sip for himself and visibly loosened his stiff muscles as he leaned his back onto the railing of the bow and focused his full attention on you. “You better work on your tolerance if you’re going to be part of my crew.” he chuckled deeply as he poured more of the drink into your mouth insistently, clearly entertained. Your throat burned a little as the large gulp of whiskey ran down it, but you relaxed into the warmth you felt spreading through your veins. Guzzling the remaining liquid down greedily, he sighed contently as he held the empty wooden stein in his hand. He smirked as he looked down to you, now relaxed and a bit cheery with the warmth of alcohol and the undivided attention of the Captain you admired. 

“We’ll need some more of that.” he said as he gestured with the stein. Together, you headed below deck to mock the besotted rest of the crew and to drink your way through the cold night together, shouting, laughing, and swaying your way through the Kid Pirate’s first blizzard.


End file.
